GREAT FALLS — It’s here. The first women’s hockey recruit in University of Providence history has signed with the newly created program, with Laurel Davidson of Whitefish, Montana officially signing her letter of intent. Davidson is the first official recruit to sign with the program that was announced on October and plans to begin its inaugural season in 2018-19.

As the first recruit, Davidson fits as a representative for two critical recruiting areas for Head Coach Ryne Hueth. Being from Whitefish, Montana, she is part of the team’s goal of recruiting quality in-state talent, but as a member of a Canadian hockey academy, she will hopefully be the start of a pipeline to the hockey-rich culture north of the border.

For the last two years, Davidson has crossed the border from Whitefish to Canada to play for the Nitro Xpress as part of the Kimberley Academy in Kimberly, British Columbia. The program is a dedicated girl’s hockey academy that plays around 40 games a year at the Academy, and Midget AA/AAA level in Canada.

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In 2017-18, Davidson was one of the team’s assistant captain and scored 13 goals in 30 exhibition games, while adding 4 assists, and 4 goals in 9 league games. The team finished second in their league in 2017-18, losing in the championship round. Davidson is the second member of the team to sign with a collegiate program.

Before earning a spot in a Canadian academy, Davidson spent two years with the Montana Big Sky Wildcats, a Tier II Girls’ Hockey program. While with the Wildcats, she played in a national tournament in Lansing, Michigan where she scored a goal, and also played in two district tournaments.

Davidson brings a versatility that will be crucial for a new program, with the ability to play as a defender or a forward.

Tom Wylie is the sports director for KRTV in Great Falls. He grew up in Bozeman. Tom’s mother would like people to know he was nominated for a 2013 Southeast Emmy award for his work on “WJBF Football Friday Night”. He also won a Georgia Associated Press Award for a story on a South Carolina high school basketball player who was granted a fifth year of eligibility after missing a season due to a cancer diagnosis.